


All The World's A Stage For Revolution

by TheTeenageWriter



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Journalism, M/M, Ugly Betty AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 04:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10983675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTeenageWriter/pseuds/TheTeenageWriter
Summary: Enjolras is an up and coming writer/director who Grantaire just happens to come across when picking Joly up from his acting class. He also may or may not convince Combeferre and Cosette to let him do an article on Enjolras.





	All The World's A Stage For Revolution

**Author's Note:**

> So I was rewatching Ugly Betty and somehow forgot Aaron was in it so when I saw him this was inspired. If you watch the show I just want to say I have added in a few (small) extra characters to fit in all les amis and would also just like to say some don't really represent the people they were put in the place of but it kind of fit anyway, so please don't be upset by that. As always feel free to comment and leave kudos.

The door creaked as Grantaire pushed it open, he looked about the small room to find Joly sitting in one of the chairs to his left among the other members of the class. It seemed he had come too as the dark skinned man at the front of the room was still talking to them. He sat down beside Joly as his friend looked up at him. He gave him a small smile before returning his attention to the front of the class. "That's Bahorel," Joly informed him and the name sounded familiar, maybe someone from university? "He's so clever, a really good teach-"  
He was cut off by Bahorel introducing someone. "I'd like you all to meet my friend, and writer/director of plays of which some have made it as far as Broadway. Although he does like to keep most of them here in Paris, Enjolras."  
All air seemed to avoid him as the most beautiful man he had ever seen came into the room. His golden curls and bright blue eyes caused Grantaire's hand to start sweating as he clapped along with everyone else in the room. Enjolras took a seat in front of them and began to talk, and of course his voice just had to be gorgeous too, didn't it? "Hi," he said. "Bahorel asked me to talk to you about progression of character and reinvention today, these are both themes in my next play 'The Rebirth of Revolution, which talks about different people and their struggle to change things."  
And suddenly Grantaire remembered him, "I've read one of his plays before," he whispered to Joly.  
"He's really good, right?"  
"Yeah, but a little naïve."  
However as Enjolras continued talking passion seeped into his words and Grantaire started to think maybe he wasn't so naïve after all, he wasn't talking about trying to overthrow the government, most of what he was saying had to do with bettering the character themselves and then progressing on to other people, about characters who want to reinvent the world but first must reinvent themselves. When he started to talk of addiction Grantaire had flash backs his time before he sobered up and he couldn't help but become enthralled in this man and his views.  
The class was over far too soon and when Joly was saying goodbye to the girl with the caramel coloured hair beside him he couldn't stop thinking of the god like being he had just heard. "He's so talented, and it was like he was talking about me when he started saying stuff about the addictions, of course I don't think the world's going to change but I definitely started to believe in him at least as he was talking," he found himself gushing to Joly on the train ride home.  
The shorter man squealed, "You should ask him out!"  
"What? No, not happening."  
"Why?" Joly whined.  
"I'm sorry, did you see him? Hear him? There's no way I could even get close to enough courage to do that."  
"What if you don't have to?" Joly asked with that glint in his eye which meant he had had an idea.  
"Joly, what are you thinking?"  
"What if you don't have to ask him out?" Joly asked. "What if you have to interview him? Come on, the magazine would love that and beside you could make it like a date, take him to a bar, ask him questions about his life and see if he's interested."  
"He's not, I can tell you already."  
"But what if he is?"  
"He's not," Grantaire repeated as the train pulled up to their stop. The night air was chilly once they left the metro station and sent a shiver up his spine. Joly had been walking quietly beside him for a few minutes before they reached the door of their shared apartment. He was aware of this tactic; he'd remain quiet until Grantaire finally gave in if only to hear the near constant stream of chatter from his friend again. "Fine," he relented, "but if this make me look like an idiot then you’re to blame."  
Joly laughed and started rambling on about what he should wear on his 'interview date' as it had been dubbed.  
\----------------------------  
"Cosette! Ferre! He calls to the retreating backs of his bosses as he enters the conference room.  
"Yes?" Combeferre asks him, an eyebrow raised.  
"I, um, I had an idea for an article," he said a little nervously.  
"And?" Cosette asked when he didn't continue.  
"Oh, right. Well, I wanted to interview with this writer Enjolras, well he directs as well but he's mainly a writer. He's got a new play coming out and it seems like it's going to be really big." He knows he's rambling, he knows but he just can't seem to stop.  
"Um, sweetie, I'm sorry but I think the answer has to be no," Cosette said, placing a comforting hand on his arm.  
"I think she's right, this is a fashion magazine," Combeferre informs him. "We look at new trends and our interviews are mostly reserved for models, designers and icons, even with those icons we talk to them about their look more than anything. Apart from that the only other things we have in here is a little drama every now and then. I just don't see how it fits in."  
"But it does!" he insists. "Okay, first of all look at this man, look at what he's wearing, and tell me how he is not a fashion icon." He held out the pictures he had found on the internet last night after what was not hours of scrolling, no matter what Joly tried to tell Eponine that morning on the phone.  
Cosette seemed a little swayed if her gentle nudge to Ferre was anything to go by. But still the man shook his head, "I don't know." He continued to flip through the photos before he paused at one, looking at it questioningly. "Is that Louison?" he asked referencing the girl in the picture; she was quite pretty but nowhere near the god-like beauty of Enjolras. She was a waitress turned singer and the media loved her at the minute.  
"Yes," he answered stiffly. He pulled the pictures out of Combeferre's hands and hugged them to his chest. "They're not together anymore though, it was quite big in some areas of press, I'm surprised you haven't heard of it," he said acting like he had before last night where he was very happy (not that he'd ever say) to see the word breakup following their names in an article by a celebrity gossip magazine.  
Cosette looked at him funny for how quickly he replied. "What, I just heard about it is all." He gave her his best fake-innocent smile and hoped she would believe him, the chances were very low with Cosette as she somehow could see through everything.  
"I still don't think it's that good of an idea, sorry R. But I'll leave it up to Cosette." With that he turned and walked away towards Courfeyac's desk in the lobby.  
"So..." he trailed off as he began to walk beside Cosette on the way to her office.  
"R, if you like this guy why can't you just ask him on a date like a normal person instead of trying to use your work to do it?"  
"Why does everyone assume I like him?" he asked defensively. "I just think his interview would make a good addition to this month's issue."  
Cosette raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, whatever you say. Ask him for an interview; just make sure it's not too long, okay? Ask him as many questions as you want for yourself but we can't spend more than two pages on it with Patron Minette's new line coming out this weekend."  
He couldn't stop himself from smiling at that and his eyes lit up. "Thank you!" he said rushing off.  
"I do have one condition though!" she called after him.  
"Anything," he said turning back to her.  
"You help me pick out your outfit!" she shouted.  
\-----------------------------  
Grantaire stood at the bar of the place he had agreed to meet Enjolras, a little bar not far off the main street where the theatre his next play was being performed in was. It was unassuming but Enjolras had insisted on the phone that the food was apparently amazing and the alcohol wasn't too expensive but still good. His palms had begun to sweat as soon as he had sat on the stool and he was trying not to look around too much knowing it would only serve to make him more nervous. The girl working behind the bar was pretty and Grantaire had a vague sense he had seen her somewhere before.  
He was broken out of this thought by a gentle tap on the shoulder. He turned to find Enjolras standing there looking at him, eyes still the same blue of the sky in day yet twinkling like the stars that inhabited it by night. His curls were a golden halo around his head and only reinforced his god-like image. There was a pair of black, thick rimmed glasses perched on his nose which had not been there before and somehow made him even more handsome. "Hi," he said softly. Even without the passion of talking about his work behind it his voice was still heavenly.  
"H-hi," Grantaire stammered. Of course he just had to make a fool of himself around Enjolras. "I like your glasses," he said pointing at his own face.  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about them." Was that a blush? No, it couldn't have been. "I only wear them for reading."  
"It's okay," he said trying to reassure the man in front of him. How could someone like him feel self-conscious about anything? "I wear contacts myself."  
Enjolras' smile grew at that. "I'll get us some drinks if you want to grab us a seat?"  
"You sure?"  
"Of course," he said and oh damn that smile. It was going to be the end of Grantaire and he knew it.  
"Well, I only want a coke," he said pulling out his wallet.  
"You can get something with alcohol, you know, I won't say anything about it to your boss and I'm sure if I can drink whilst answering your questions you can have something whilst asking them."  
"No, it's fine." Grantaire squirmed. He had been afraid of what he would say when this came up, he knew it would when Enjolras suggested the bar as their meeting place. "I've kind of been sober for the past few years; I wasn't great with drink before."  
Enjolras' tone remained bright, "Good for you, you sure you don't want to go somewhere else though?"  
"No, it's fine. I've been in bars plenty of time with friends since I sobered up, I'll be okay. Honestly."  
Enjolras pushed Grantaire's money back at him when he saw it insisting that if he was only getting coke he would pay. Grantaire's cheek flushed a little at that, it seemed like something a date would do. However when Enjolras walked over to the table Grantaire had picked for them, the drinks in his hands, he said, "Well, apparently I didn't have to pay either. The girl at the bar said she knew you, she's friend of Joly's?" The tilt in his voice made it into a question. "Who's that, a boyfriend?"  
"No, no," he rushed out, hands waving a little too mush. "Roommate, she must be the girl from his acting class."  
"So, no boyfriend? Or girlfriend? " Was that hope in his tone?  
"No, no boyfriend." Grantaire said and he definitely wasn't imagining how the blonde's eyes lit up at that. "Hey, aren't I the one meant to be asking the questions?"  
"Yes, work away," Enjolras said sitting up a little straighter. Grantaire pulled his notebook from his bag and set up the voice recording app on his phone.  
"I know it probably won't work great in here," he said indicating his phone. "But it gives me a little more chance of getting quotes right." He flicked through his notebook before saying, "So, how did your time spent in England at university help you when writing your plays?"  
"Okay, off the record," he said stopping the recorder. "I didn't go to university there full time, I spent one semester there and the rest of it here in Paris. Technically I never lied, people just assumed when I put in about university on my resume that I somehow attended both despite the fact that I'm not even twenty-six yet. I just never corrected them. I actually hated it, hated being away from my friends for so long."  
"Why don't you correct them?"  
"Because I didn't have a lot going for me at the start, all I've got no are my plays but I didn't have many of those then so people thinking I was really smart wasn't a bad thing. And I really wanted to be successful, not just so my plays could be seen and my message heard, that was obviously important, but also so I could prove those who knew me before wrong. I came from a rich family and basically denounced them every chance I could, I didn't want the money or the privilege. I wanted less, everyone said I was stupid and acted like I was less than them and then I was made fun of for the really curly hair and glasses paired with big jumpers anyway- not that there's anything wrong with that look!" he finished quickly when he saw Grantaire glance down at himself.  
"No, I get it. It must be horrendous in the land of the bourgeois."  
"I actually like it, and besides you look really good tonight." Grantaire blushed for the third time that night.  
"So, next question?"  
Grantaire looked at his notes again then back up into those captivating eyes. "What about writing do you like the most?"  
"The characters, no doubt about it. I like having them have influences of my own but be different from me. I also really like looking at different aspects of other plays and books about what drives those characters and seeing in what way would the same kind of cause drive my own. You know like in Pride and Prejudice Lizze is totally repulsed by the way Mr Darcy treats her friends at the start yet she's willing to put up with him for Jane and they both change each other, I really like that idea. So I often look at my own characters and think who are the unlikely friends here? Why are they friends? Why did they start hanging out together? And build off that, get it?" He shook his head.  
"Sorry, I've never read it, always wanted to though. I guess I've never had the time, I haven't even bought it yet."  
"Well maybe I could lend you my copy sometime?" Enjolras said leaning closer across the table.  
"That'd be awesome, thanks. Is that everything for that question or do you have anything else you'd like to add?" He tried to act as if Enjolras hadn't just implied that they could meet up again, at least another two times and had wanted him to read a beloved book. That did not mean he was interested. He was a writer; he obviously wanted people to read the things he liked.  
"No, there's more, I also like to create characters, like I said, who are different to me. Who can do the things I cannot. I have characters that can leave things unfinished, who can realise when helping others isn't as important as helping themselves, but my favourites are those who are impulsive. I am way too organised for that, I'm an over thinker most of the time and I wish I wasn't because wouldn't life be so much better and simpler if I wasn't? If I could just do what I wanted when I saw the opportunity? Wouldn't it be better for us all to do that, to some extent at least? Obviously nothing to harm other people in anyway but to just think I see that, I want it and I'm not going to let someone else get there first. I'm not going to stop myself going after what I want. What if we just decided to go for it?"  
So he did. He looked into those mesmerising eyes, down at those plump, pink lips and leaned forward across the table to capture them with his own. Enjolras was still for a moment, not kissing back and Grantaire started to panic. Of course he hadn't been implying anything; he was just talking about his job. It wasn't an invitation to kiss him! He barely felt Enjolras kiss back before he was pulling away throwing his book and phone into his bag and standing up.  
"I'm so sorry," he said running a hand through his hair as he threw his bag over his shoulder.  
"It's okay, honestly Grantaire," Enjolras tried to reassure him beginning to stand up as well. But it was too late and Grantaire was already running out the door.  
\------------------------------------------------  
"So?" Cosette asked him when she came into his office the next morning.  
"So what?" he said looking up from the screen where he had been typing up the little bit of interview he had gotten done with Enjolras the night before. He was currently trying not to slam his head against the desk for his own stupidity and the fact that if he wanted to keep his job (which he most certainly did) he was going to have to at least call Enjolras again and ask him the three other questions he had planned about reinvention and costumes and actual fashion like he was meant to.  
"So how did your thing go last night?"  
"It wasn't a thing it was an interview," Grantaire informed her. "And besides, with Combeferre off sick and Courfeyac and Jehan basically at his bedside all day do you really have time to be talking to me about this?"  
"I'm the boss here so I can say I do," she said with a smug smile. "So how did it go?"  
"It went fine."  
"Oh really, so why are you blushing?"  
"I am not, it's just a little warm in here." She gave him a knowing look. Well most looks from Cosette were knowing so this wasn't really a surprise. "I have to call him to ask a few last questions becuase it got cut a little short."  
"And why did you thing, that was most definitely a totally professional interview get cut short?"  
"It was totally professional," he said exasperatedly, he did not whine (he was a grown man who did not whine).  
"Oh really, is that why he's here now?"  
"What?" he said swirly around in his chair at the same time there was a knock on the glass door of his office. And sure enough, Enjolras came slowly into the room with a shy smile on his face and those adorable glasses.  
"Hi Grantaire, bad time?" he asked.  
"No, of course not. Enjolras this is my boss Cosette, Cosette this is Enjolras," he said waving vaguely at each of them.  
"Nice to meet you," she said leaning over Grantaire's desk to shake his hand, a bright and lovely smile on her face. Even in heels she was smaller than Enjolras.  
"You too," Enjolras said returning the smile. He turned to Grantaire with the smile still in place. "I wanted to talk to you about our thing last night?"  
Cosette turned to him with a raised eyebrow mouthing the words 'he said it was a thing.'  
"Yeah, sure why don't we take a step outside, I was going to anyway."  
"Sure," the writer said happily.  
Before they could get to the door Cosette said to them, "You have a bit of a big fan here Enjolras, I'd watch out that he doesn't try to hear any new ideas."  
"I'm not a big fan, Cosette, I just think he's talented. And don't worry, I'd never write about any ideas you tell me," he assured Enjolras.  
"I don't doubt it." Cosette laughter followed them as they got into the lift.  
"Listen," Grantaire started when the doors closed. "I am sorry about last night, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I kind of just got swept up in the moment and I understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me or the magazine after your interview is over, not you would anyway. It was totally unprofessional and won't-" he was cut off from his rambled when Enjolras took him by the arms and turned him pulling him to his own body. Within seconds his lips were on Grantaire's and Grantaire felt his breath catch. His heart was going crazy and Enjolras' lips were soft when his brain finally told him to kiss back. The bliss was short lived however when Grantaire's brain reminded him of everything else that existed except the way Enjolras touching him made him feel.  
He pushed himself away, even though it almost hurt to do it. "I can't, I'm sorry."  
"What's wrong? Was it something I did?" Enjolras asked, he was confused and pushed his glasses up as if it would somehow help him understand. His smile wavered and it seemed as if he was starting to panic.  
"You did nothing wrong," he said looking up at him.  
"Then would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" The hope was back on his face. Why did he have to be so charming?  
"I'd love to," Grantaire could hear himself saying before he could do anything about it. "No," he shook himself. "I can't. I'm sorry. I pushed really hard to write this article because I really believe it would be good for the magazine but that would never happen if my boss Combeferre found out we were involved in any way other than professionally."  
Enjolras pulled them together again, "Then we won't tell him. I don't want to put your job at risk but you seem interesting and sweet and I want to get to know you more, and I really want to kiss you more. So have dinner with me?"  
"How would we even make it work? Someone's bound to recognise you. The media loves you!"  
"You write a few plays, date two famous people and put social justice graffiti on the side of a government building and people suddenly want to take your picture. I've gotten good at hiding when I want to and good at finding them when I want to make a statement."  
"A secret date? Really? What are you going to sneak out of your bedroom window?"  
"Okay, maybe not that far, but yeah, why not have a secret date? It'll be fun."  
"Alright then, let's have a secret date."  
They had to jump apart suddenly when the doors opened, they didn't even get to kiss again. But Enjolras shot him a charming smile as someone got in. "I guess we can finish that interview tonight then, I'll see you around eight?" He asked as he got out.  
"Okay, but if your late don't expect me to wait for you." And even as he said it he knew it was a damn lie.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"You're going on a date with him!" Joly squealed when Grantaire told him the news.  
"With who?" Épinonne asked coming out of her bedroom. He had brought Cosette home with him knowing the three would never forgive him if he didn't let them help him get ready.  
"Enjolras," he said.  
"The cute playwright?"  
"The cute, handsome, sexy playwright who also directs and who R here was drooling over in my acting class," Joly said jumping up from the couch to hug him.  
"To be fair I think Enjolras was drooling over R a little too," Cosette laughed and Grantaire decided he really needed to acquire some new friends.  
"I can't believe you asked him out, good for you. I'd expected to have to listen to you whine about him for a few weeks before finally giving up and moving on," Éponine told him whilst playfully punching his shoulder.  
"Well actually, Mr Playwright asked him out," Cosette said. Joly squealed even louder and Éponine looked at him a little surprised.  
"Thanks for having faith in me though, Éponine, and as always my ability to have a cute guy be interested even if he is way out of my league."  
"Oh come on, you know I didn't mean it like that."  
"Why don't we talk to Joly about the girl and guy he likes from his class."  
"Musichetta said she saw you at the bar last night, apparently gave you free drinks too."  
So that's where he knew her from. "We aren't talking about them because they aren't going on a date tonight, you two are," Cosette informed him as he was being pulled into his own bedroom. Joly and Cosette proceed to pull out about half of all the clothes he owned whilst Éponine grilled him about Enjolras.  
"Where are you going?"  
"To the cinema and then out for dinner."  
"For someone in theatre he's not very creative with dates is he?"  
"Ep," he whined. "Besides, we have to be a bit wary of where we go, he doesn't really want people seeing him and Combeferre would go mad if he heard."  
They were stopped from continuing the conversation when Joly turned to them. "A, you have to wear these jeans, they're going to make your ass look so amazing he'll be holding doors open all night because he wants a look and not just because he's a gentleman which I assume he is. I mean, he wouldn't really be for looking at your ass all night but whatever. And b, where did you get them because I need a pair."  
Grantaire only rolled his eyes in response but caught the jeans anyway as they were thrown to him.  
"Please tell me you’re brushing that mess you call hair before you go," Éponine said.  
"Of course he is, do you think we'd let him out without doing it?" Cosette asked coming to stand beside him. She handed him a dark green button down and the most expensive cologne he owned.  
It only took him about thirty minutes before he was ready and not long after that there was a knock on the door. He opened it to see Enjolras standing there wearing pretty much the same outfit as him expect minus the leather jacket and his shirt was a dark red. This time his glasses were replaced with contacts. His long red coat hung loosely on his frame and his eyes sparkled.  
"I didn't make you wait," he said.  
"I told you I wouldn't" Grantaire told him with a smile. He heard a laugh behind him and saw Enjolras look over his shoulder to the living room where his friends were sitting. "It's oaky, they won't tell anyone. They've been sworn to secrecy."  
Enjolras looked a little hesitant but smiled anyway. "You ready to go?"  
"Yeah," he said walking out the door.  
"Have him back by midnight!"  
Once they reached the bottom floor Enjolras started to tell him about the movie. "I'm sorry that's probably going to be kind of bad, I wanted to pick something that I thought few people would be at seeing as we don't really want photos getting about."  
"It's fine, I understand. The restaurant I picked is a bit like it, not that it's bad or anything. The food is really good but few people seem to know it exists."  
"Sounds perfect," Enjolras told him  
They were nearly out of the door when he heard a voice from the stairs, "No Combeferre, I'm coming over. There's no way I'm going out to the bar on my own. It's karaoke night there and Jehan's working and it's sad to go on your own. Oh hey, Grantaire!" It was Courfeyac, of course it was. Grantaire nodded at him when he passed. "He's down on the ground floor, Ferre." And with that he was out the door and R was pulling Enjolras out from behind the tree he had pushed him behind.  
"Sorry," he said. "He works with me and he's best friends with my boss."  
"Courfeyac is?"  
Before he could ask Enjolras how he knew him he heard his voice again. He pushed Enjolras back against the wall and put his face into the crook of his neck trying to hide him from Courfeyac. "No, he's still here. And there are my keys! Oh, and he's met someone. I know, I know, we've been over this. Stop being nosy about our colleagues love lives, I get it." And he was back out the door again.  
R pulled back as soon as the door was closed. "Sorry again. It's just I'm really worried about my boss finding out."  
"Hey it's okay," Enjolras calmed him. "I guess the best place for us is just down here," and with that he was pulling Grantaire closer and kissing him again.


End file.
